The present invention relates to an irrigation sprinkler head flexible auxiliary nozzle carrier for supporting a plurality of nozzles held on a sprinkler head by one of the nozzles being operatively attached to the sprinkler head. The nozzle carrier is flexible and resilient between the ends thereof and absorbs impact without damage allowing the sprinkler head to be used below a crop line.
A variety of irrigation systems are used throughout the world or irrigating crops and groves. One common system used for irrigation is a sprinkler system having a plurality of sprinkler heads coming from a central water supply line for distributing water over a surface area. These systems may use a moving supply line for irrigating food crops, groves and the like. The sprinkler units typically have replaceable nozzles so that different nozzles may be selected and mounted in the sprinkler unit to achieve a desired range or rate of coverage or simply to replace a defective nozzle. An irrigation system may also have many different sprinkler units of the same type with each having different nozzles and it is sometimes desirable and necessary to change the nozzles often for a given area to obtain an optimum irrigation of an area of coverage. This requires maintaining different sprinkler nozzles and selecting the nozzle for a particular coverage after a sprinkler system is installed. Many current nozzles are removably attached to a sprinkler head in which the nozzle or a cover for the nozzle is threadedly attached which requires unscrewing a nozzle or cap for the nozzle, finding a replaceable nozzle, and attaching the new nozzles onto the sprinkler unit. This is sometimes difficult because the nozzle is positioned so it cannot be gripped easily to unscrew the nozzle or to simply pull out the nozzle in the case of a press-fitted nozzle. It is also necessary to have a replacement nozzle handy for exchanging nozzles on the sprinkler head.
In Applicant's prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/215,661, filed Jun. 30, 2008, for a Quick Change Nozzle an irrigation sprinkler has a rapid change nozzle which can be snapped-in from the side of the sprinkler outlet and then quickly unsnapped and removed.
Other prior art removable sprinkler nozzles may be seen in the McKenzie U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,169 for a removable sprinkler nozzle in which the nozzle fits in a recessed seat and has a rotatable upper cover and a camming surface formed on the cover which extends down into engagement with the nozzle. The cam surface is shaped to push the nozzle at least partially out of its seat during rotation of the cover to allow a user to be able to grip the nozzle and complete its removal by pulling outward on the nozzle. The cover also includes a locking rib which can be brought to bear against the nozzle when the nozzle is fully received in its seat to help retain the nozzle in place. In the Scott et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,962, a sprinkler unit has a nozzle in which the sprinkler body has an outlet having a nozzle receiving socket for a removable nozzle mounted in the sprinkler outlet. The lodging device in the socket is used for latching engagement with the nozzle for retaining the nozzle in the socket. In the Hart U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,453, a quick disconnect nozzle for an irrigation sprinkler is fitted with a screw threaded connection to the sprinkler outlet. The Anuskiewicz U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,795 is an irrigation sprinkler with an easily removable nozzle.
The present invention relates to an irrigation sprinkler system in which a nozzle attached to a sprinkler head needs to be exchanged for another size nozzle at some time during the growing season. In a typical irrigation system sprinkler heads with one or more auxiliary nozzles, the sprinkler head carries two or more nozzles in a rigid nozzle carrier. While one nozzle in the carrier is being utilized by the sprinkler, an alternate nozzle is held off to the side, out of the water spray. To change the nozzle, the nozzle that was being used is removed from the sprinkler, the nozzle carrier is flipped around and a new nozzle is installed into the sprinkler. The nozzle is held off to the side, out of the spray, but the nozzle and carrier are vulnerable to damage.
Sprinklers mounted on flexible drops from a central water line are also prone to blowing around in high winds. This random movement allows the sprinklers to impact one another and the support structure itself. If the alternate nozzle or the nozzle carrier is struck, the nozzle and/or nozzle carrier can get damaged or broken off and lost. In addition these sprinklers are often dragged through taller crops and if the carrier gets hooked on a plant, it will break the carrier and the alternate nozzle will be lost. Sprinklers can also be dragged along the ground when a field has high and low spots. If a rigid carrier and nozzle system impacts something hard or gets hooked on a plant and pulled, the sprinkler itself can be unscrewed and lost.
The present invention prevents damage to the carrier, loss of the alternate nozzle(s) and the unwanted unscrewing of the sprinkler. The flexible carrier prevents damage to the nozzle carrier itself and reduces the chance that the working nozzle will become dislodged by impact or contact with other sprinklers, center pivot structures, or crops.
One prior art auxiliary nozzle holder can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,269, to Sweet, for a Nozzle Clip. The nozzle clip holds two nozzles, one of which is connected to an adapter on the sprinkler head for receiving a quick change nozzle. The clip is reversible such that the first and second nozzles are selectively mounted on the adapter.
The present invention relates to an auxiliary nozzle carrier for carrying an extra sprinkler nozzle for an irrigation sprinkler capable of absorbing impact without damage while being able to deflect away from obstacles rather than becoming damaged by them.